Representative Kristen Kasner told the joint committee that H.490 would establish a special commission to assess the commonwealth’s existing built environment, permitting practices and infrastructure needs to help communities adapt vacant or underused space for emerging industries.

“This bill, H.490, establishes a special commission to inventory our assets, diagnose our barriers, and identify opportunities, specifically around the existing built environment, infrastructure, permitting practices, and local land use regulations to open the door for these opportunities,” Kasner said.

Kasner noted the rapid change in demand for space after the COVID‑era shift to remote work and cited a report the Boston Policy Institute released showing Boston office values could fall “35 to 45% from their 2024 levels,” a statistic she used to underline the importance of repurposing and stabilizing property values. She said the commission would develop a framework to coordinate businesses, educational institutions, infrastructure partners and government to guide re‑use toward housing, climate and energy technology, advanced manufacturing and the arts.

Lawmakers asked about the commission’s membership and data sources. Kasner said she welcomed suggestions to ensure the panel includes representatives from underrepresented business communities, the creative economy and stakeholders from across the state. Committee members suggested leveraging existing data sources — including the Massachusetts Data Hub and state GIS — and coordinating with agencies such as DOER and DEP to avoid duplicating work.

Kasner asked for a favorable report out of the committee so the commission could begin inventory and recommendations to “modernize our processes at all levels to remain competitive in the world economy and provide for the needs of our people.” No committee vote was taken at the hearing; staff accepted written testimony for the public record.